Conventional electrical receptacles have two-piece housings formed by separate mateable front and back covers. The covers generally mate together using any known means, such as screws, rivets, or snap-fits. A mounting bridge with ears at opposite ends generally extends between the front and back covers and allows the housing to be attached to a suitable structure, such as a building wall or an electrical box. In some electrical receptacle designs, the mounting bridge has a generally U-shape so as to wrap around portions of the mated front and back covers of the housing and couples to the front and back covers. In other electrical receptacle designs, the mounting bridge is a relatively flat shape and is disposed between the mated front and back covers of the housing. The bridge can be coupled to the housing using any mechanical fasteners, such as screws or rivets.
In many conventional receptacle housings, the two-piece housing is coupled together using fasteners or screws, as described above. This fastener type housing forms a rigidly secured, hard to separate housing, but is cumbersome and difficult to assemble. In many situations, it is necessary to assemble many housings, each having multiple fasteners, creating a time consuming, tedious job.
Additionally, other conventional receptacle housings have a snap-fit design, wherein the front cover snaps to the back cover, holding the bridge in-between. Several designs of snap-fit of housings for electrical receptacles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,087 to Brant, U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,760 to Marcou et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,303 to Bonilla et al., which are herein incorporated by reference. A design of a snap-fit housing for an accessory strip to an outlet cover plate is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,874 to Orlando et al., which is herein incorporated by reference. While these prior art snap-fit designs allow a quick assembly of the housing without the use of screws or rivets, they do not provide a rigidly coupled housing. In many instances the two housing portions can be twisted or pulled apart relatively easily, thus exposing the electrical receptacle to the outside environment and the installer/user, and possibly causing electrical shock to the installer/user or damage to the electrical receptacle.
Consequently, a need exists for a secure fit housing for an electrical receptacle that is quick and easy to assemble, while simultaneously providing a housing that is difficult or unlikely to be pulled or twisted apart.